In Deep
by zoey04
Summary: Heero is suspended just before a big mission. When Duo is forced to go with someone he isn’t as comfortable with, mistakes are made and Duo gets into a bad situation. Is Heero able to save him in time? Heero POV. yaoi, so don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

**This _is_ a yaoi, so if you don't like it, don't read it. This is my first attempt at writing yaoi, or any romance for that matter, so please be nice XD Anyway, enjoy.**

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Chapter 1

Suspended

"Dammit," I heard Duo swear as my fist flew into the mans face.

I didn't know why I did it. It was probably all the snide remarks mixed with the alcohol, but I found myself slugging a drunk Preventer agent sitting next to me at the bar and Duo shouting 'Preventer agents!' as he restrained me. He apologized to the agent, then dragged me out of the bar and towards our car.

"What the hell was that?! What were you thinking?!" Duo shouted at me as we exited the bar.

"I don't know. I wasn't," I muttered. "I guess I'm just tired of all the gay remarks."

"I am too, but we just need to learn to ignore it. We are who we are and that's nothing to be ashamed off. You realize that if Une gets wind of this- and you know she will- you could lose your job?"

"I know," I muttered, climbing into the passenger side of the car. "And I'm not ashamed, by the way."

"And you know I need to report it or _I_ could lose _my_ job," he continued, starting the car.

"Yeah, I know."

It was silent the entire way back to our apartment, giving me lots of time to rethink my actions and realize just how stupid I was. I've heard all the comments before and it had never really bothered me. Apparently I couldn't hold my alcohol very well.

"I'll hold off putting my report through until after our mission in three days. I really need you as my Second. I just hope that Une won't hear about it before we're deployed. Hopefully Agent Thompson was too stoned to remember any of that," Duo mused out loud.

I nodded in agreement. I hated the thought of Duo going into a difficult mission without me. Not knowing whether he was in need of assistance, or hurt, or even killed scared me. But I also hated him risking the job he loved so much by holding the report.

Duo pulled into our spot in front of our apartment and I went straight to bed. I only had two drinks, so hopefully I wouldn't have a hangover tomorrow morning. And as Duo lay down in bed next to me, I prayed that I'd be able to Second him in our mission.

…

The next morning found me sitting in Duo's desk, doing what we always did between missions. Nothing. Currently I was on Duo's computer filing files and trying to keep my distance from Une. Duo was in the chair on the other side of his desk with his feet up on the desk, reading a military handbook. Not like he hadn't read them all already. The speaker com in Duo's office phone beeped, then Une's voice echoed in the room.

"Yuy! My office now!"

"Crap," Duo sighed, then leaned forward, held down a button, and responded, "On our way."

"Is it sad that she always knows I'm in your office?" I asked as we left his office.

Duo laughed and took my hand. "I'll ask her to allow you to Second our mission. Hopefully she'll listen to me."

"Hopefully," I repeated, images of Duo alone and hurt flashing in front of my eyes.

I took a deep breath, then opened the door to General Une's office. She had her eyes glued to the computer monitor, but as soon as I stepped into her office, her hard gaze shot to me.

"Would you like to explain this?" she asked, but it was more of a demand as she spun the monitor around to show me the security feed of the fight at the bar.

"It was just a bar fight, ma'am," Duo vouched.

"And you! When exactly were you going to report this?" she snapped back as the video showed Duo dragged me out of the bar.

"I have the report written up and ready for filing. I was just holding off on sending it until after our mission the day after tomorrow," Duo said calmly.

"If you think I'm going to allow him on this mission, you are gravely mistaken Colonel Maxwell. As for you, Colonel Yuy, this action deserves an immediate dismissal from your position as a Preventer agent, but seeing as you are one of our best agents, I'm only going to suspend you from your position as active field officer. You will be assigned to a desk job for three weeks. But I will warn you now… if this _ever_ happens again, I will not hesitate to sack your ass right there and then," she threatened.

"Yes ma'am," I responded coolly. At least I was lucky to still have my job.

"Ma'am, I must ask if you can postpone Colonel Yuy's suspension until after our upcoming mission. You know that we both work better when we work together," Duo persisted.

"Colonel Yuy is lucky to still have his job here as a Preventer agent, so don't push your luck. Colonel Yuy's suspension is effective immediately and Colonel Chang will replace as your Second," she said, her decision final.

Duo made to argue, but I grabbed his arm, stopping him. "It's alright. Thank you, General Une," I bowed, dragging Duo out of the office before he too got suspended.

"This is bullshit! She knows I can't work with Fei!" Duo ranted as we made our way back to his office.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I should've just kept my cool and—"

"It's not completely your fault. Thompson should've kept his mouth shut. I was about ready to hit the guy too."

"Don't let Une hear you say that," I told him sternly as he walked up to his desk.

"Maybe I should get suspended too. I can't work with WuFei. He's so… WuFei!"

"Don't. Without you we might as well just give up."

"Yeah, it's bad enough that you aren't coming," he smirked at me, picking up his desk phone. "Fei. You're my new Second. Meet me in the gym in ten. I'll explain there," Duo said into the phone, then hung up and redialed. "Sergeant Michaels. Get our men together to meet in the gym." He hung up the phone and gestured for me to follow him. "You come too. You get to explain to the men why you aren't coming with us."

I followed him down to the gym and we were the first ones there. We changed into our workout shorts and tanks, then headed straight for the bench press. WuFei joined us then, flanked by his temporary new team.

"Colonel Yuy has something to tell you all," Duo told them, resting the bar back on the stand and sitting up.

"I've been suspended. Colonel Chang is Colonel Maxwell's Second for your next mission. You will obey him the way you obeyed me," I said simply and the men protested.

"Why did Une suspend you?" Sergeant Michaels asked, anger in his voice.

"He got into a bar fight," Duo explained, frowning at me.

The men weren't happy with this news, which made me feel appreciated, but even angrier at myself for getting suspended. They complained and protested against having me off the team.

"Hey! Shut it! Colonel Chang is a great leader and will guide you well. I hear of any problems from either Colonel Chang or Colonel Maxwell and you will have to answer to me. Got that?" I yelled sternly.

"Yes, sir!" the saluted, quieting down immediately.

"So back to business. I called you all here so that Colonel Chang can get to know you and your abilities before we are deployed. Everyone find a partner and spot each other on the bench presses. Colonel Chang will be going around, learning names and giving tips. Anyone needs help or had questions, ask him," Duo commanded.

The men all partnered up and found an open bench press. The noise level increased as the men lifted weights and talked to each other and to WuFei. I stood to go talk to Une about my new position, but Duo stopped me.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

"To go get my new assignment from Une," I answered with a groan.

"I need a spotter too," he grinned, lying back down under the bar. "You can wait a little while, can't you? Or are you that eager to get your new desk job?" he teased.

"No way. I'll stay here a while."

Duo smiled and gestured to the stack of weights. "Add a few pounds, kay sweet?"

I obliged, adding five more pounds to each side, raising the weight to two hundred and ninety pounds. He struggled slightly under the added weight and I kept a cautious grasp on the bar, ready to catch it if he slipped. But he soon got a hang of it and had me add even more weight. After about one hundred reps at three hundred pounds, he asked if I wanted to switch.

"I don't know, Duo. I really need to get back to Une or she's gonna throttle me. And I've already gotten on her bad side once today," I answered, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Come on. Show me what you can do," he grinned, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

"Alright," I agreed.

"How much more do I add?" he asked, automatically adding ten pounds to each side.

"That's good for now," I told him, lying back on the bench.

I easily did ten reps on three hundred and twenty, and Duo added thirty more. After about fifty reps, my phone buzzed on the floor under the bench.

"Can you get that, love?" I asked him, lifting the bar back up and holding it.

He nodded and, keeping one hand on the bar, bent down to grab my phone. Before he could even put it to his ear, someone was yelling at him.

'Une," he mouthed, but I had already known that it would be her. "I'll give him the message. He's got his hands full at the moment," he told her, winking at me. Once she heard that it was Duo on the phone and not me, she calmed down. "Oh, that's okay. I'm used to being yelled at." He hung up and placed my phone on my chest. "She wants you in her office. Now."

I put the bar back on the stand and he handed me my towel. I wiped my face and stood, shoving my phone in my pocket.

"You gonna keep pumping?" I asked him, draping the towel across my shoulders.

"Heck yeah. I've just gotten started," he answered.

"Be careful," I told him sternly. He had a bad reputation for over doing things. And it always seemed to end in band-aids for him.

"Yes, sir. I won't go very big."

"I don't believe you," I told him and he laughed. I looked around for WuFei and found him giving tips to one of the soldiers. "Hey, Fei! Spot Duo for me! I gotta go!"

"Good luck, babe. Go kick ass," he told me, sacking me on the butt with his towel as I turned away. "Don't let her push you around too hard."

I nodded and he grinned at me as WuFei stepped up to the bar. Duo had him add more weights and I frowned. I forced myself to trust WuFei enough to keep Duo alive for me while I dealt with Une. Quickly changing back into my Preventers uniform, I made my way to Une's office to await my punishment. I had just left the locker room when my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Yuy," I answered.

"Did Maxwell give you the message?" Une asked.

"Yes ma'am. I'm on my way," I told her and hung up.

"So, Yuy," Une said as I entered her office. "We don't have any desks open, so I'm assigning you Maxwell's office. It's not like he uses it much. You will strictly be working minority cases at your desk and completing files. Neither of which call for your service pistol, so I'd like you to turn that in for the duration of your suspension," she commanded, holding out her hand.

I pulled the gun, holster and all, off my belt and placed it into her hand. She stuck a sticky note with my name on it on the holster and shoved it in the bottom drawer of her desk.

"If this ever happens again, Yuy, I will fire you. You understand me? I understand that you and Duo have been dealing with a lot of prejudice, but you two need to learn to ignore it," she threatened.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Will you have any problems sharing a space with Maxwell?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, ma'am. Like you said, he's never there anyway."

She nodded and handed me a stack of files. "You can start by completing and filing these. Remember to log them before filing them into the file room."

I nodded and took the files. "Thank you, ma'am," I told her, standing.

"For what?" she asked, looking back to her computer.

"For letting me keep my job."

"Well don't push your luck. I'm still pissed about all of this. I know you and Maxwell operate the best when you have each other's backs. Let's just hope that he doesn't screw anything up."

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**So? How bad? I thought it turned out okay for my first yaoi, but who knows...... XD Please review! And I'm running out of ideas already for my fic 'Captured', so don't be expecting anything from that soon. Sorry.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I got that chapter typed fast. Hope it's okay... Well, here you go!**

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Chapter 2

Deployed

"God! Where the hell is my stapler and why do you keep _moving _things?" Duo shouted as me as he rummaged through his drawers.

"It's right there next to your computer," I pointed, and he looked up and glared at the stapler for a moment.

Then he grabbed it up and pointed at the door with it. "I banish you! Be gone!"

I laughed and turned back to the file I was completing. "This is my first day sharing an office with you and you are already sick of me. I wonder what that says about our relationship?" I mused with a teasing smile.

"I'm not sick of _you,_ I'm sick of you moving all my shit. I could never be sick of you, love," he smiled back, then his expression became serious. "Feet of the desk."

"You have your feet up all the time—" I started to argue.

"Feet off!" he glared, interrupting me.

Without waiting for me to respond, he walked around the desk, lifted my feet off the desk, dropped them, then sat on my lap. Then, he made a show of putting his feet up on his desk. He twisted around in my lap and whispered in my ear, "My desk, my feet only."

I chuckled and gave a light tug on his braid. "Message received."

He stood back up and walked around to his chair and plopped down. He stapled his paper, then tossed it at me.

"It's my report from our last mission. I kept forgetting to finish it. And I might as well give it to you, cause if I give it to Une, she's just gonna give it right to you anyway."

I nodded and flipped through it, correcting spelling errors and punctuation mistakes. This was going to be my job for the next three weeks. Great.

"You really should learn to write neater. I can hardly read your handwriting," I told him, turning the file this way and that.

"Sure," he said, not really paying attention.

"What does this say?" I asked, pointing to one of his messy words.

"Uh, huh," he responded, staring at his monitor.

I raised an eyebrow at him. He wasn't paying attention in the slightest. What was he so interested in? He was staring intently at the screen, memorizing it.

"I think I'm starting to go straight," I lied, trying to get a reaction out of him.

"That's great," he muttered.

"Yeah, there is this babe I run into in the filing room sometimes. Real hotty. And what an ass," I told him, smiling at his lack of a reaction.

"Uh, huh."

"So, I'm dumping you."

"Uh, huh. Wait… what?" he asked, turning to look at me.

I laughed. "Nothing. What does this say?" I asked him, pointing at the file.

"Suspect apprehended quickly. What were you saying?"

"Nothing," I chuckled. "I was just messing with you. What's so interesting?"

"I'm studying the maps Une just sent me for our mission. It looks kinda tough," he mused.

"Nothing Colonel Duo Maxwell can't handle, I'm sure," I smiled, getting up and walking around the desk to look at the maps.

I rested my chin on his shoulder as I looked over the map.

"It's all… different," he frowned. "There is this wide open space here where they are dropping us. Perfect for the enemy to pick us off if they know we're coming."

"They won't pick you off," I told him, not wanting to even think of that possibility.

"But then there is this forest here that we have to hide in. They are hiding our supplies here," he said, circling a spot on the map. "We'll have to find them quickly, because they are dropping us with hardly anything. But then our trek will take us all the way up this mountain where the base sits here." He tapped the monitor screen with his finger where the base was marked. "It'll take us a good three days to get up there. Its dense forest the entire way up. And you know how I feel about forests."

"You'll be fine," I said, but I was more reassuring myself than him.

He nodded, then dropped his head on the desk. "I don't want to do this mission," he mumbled into his arms.

"Duo Maxwell afraid of a mission? Is that even possible? You couldn't wait for this mission two days ago," I reminded him.

"That was before you got suspended," he mumbled and I could hardly make out his words.

"You'll be fine, Duo. Fei will be with you and I trust him to cover your back."

"Yeah Fei is great. When he's leading. He has control issues. That's why I can't work with him. Because he thinks he's in charge all the time. But he's not. This is _my_ mission. Not his. I'm leading and he's my Second. If only I could get that into his thick skull—"

"I could talk to him," I interrupted him.

"No. If anyone is going to tell him to back the hell off, it needs to be me," he responded, lifting his head and running his hands through his unruly bangs.

I nodded and sat down on the desk next to him. He spun the chair to face me, leaning back into it and crossing his arms. We stared at each other in silence for a while until he broke it.

"I'll miss you," he finally said.

"Not as much as I'll miss you," I responded.

"This is so weird! I hate this!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "You should be covering my back. Not Mr. Overbearing-Sense-of-Justice. This is how missions get messed up. Things go wrong when you don't know your partner like the back of your hand. I know you so well. I know how you work, the moves you make. I wish I could've convinced Une to let you second."

"I wish you could too."

Duo spun back around to face his computer. He studied the maps some more, then checked his watch.

"It's nine o'clock. Let's go," he said, grabbing up a file and shutting down his computer.

I made sure all my files were complete, then I stood and followed him out of the office with my own stack of files.

"I'll take that. I'm going to go see Une anyway. You go wait at the car and I'll meet you there in a few minutes, kay?" I asked him.

He nodded, handing me his file, then turned to leave. I headed to Une's office and dropped a few of the files into her inbox. She thanked me, not looking up from her computer. I stopped by the file room on my way out and filed the remaining files. I was putting the first file away when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and shoved it between my ear and shoulder, continuing with my filing.

"Yuy."

"It's WuFei. Where is Maxwell?"

"Uh, he should be out in the parking garage. Why?" I asked, instantly worried. Was something wrong? "Did you try calling him first?"

"Yeah, but it went straight to voicemail. I just needed to run something by him. It's about the maps we just received from Une," he told me.

"Oh, okay. And its Colonel Maxwell to you," I said strictly, remembering what Duo had said to me about him not knowing his place.

He hung up and my heart began to slow back to it's normal pace. That was weird. Since when was I so nervous? It must've been this mission. I had this feeling, like something bad was coming. I never got that feeling. Perhaps because I was always with Duo on these kind of difficult missions. Should I listen to it? I didn't know. I trusted Duo to come back to me, but I couldn't help but worry.

I shoved my phone back in my pocket and finished filing the files, then hurried out to the garage to make sure everything was all right. I found Duo in the car, staring at his lap, but not looking at anything. I climbed into the drivers' side of the car and started it, looking over at Duo, who was still staring mindlessly at his hands.

"Is everything okay? WuFei called me asking where you were. Where is your phone?" I asked him.

"Everything is fine. Fei just had some questions about the maps. My phone is dead," he answered quietly.

I let it go. If he wanted to tell me, he would. Things were kind of stressful right now, so I decided not to push him. When we reached the apartment, he went straight to our room. He quickly and quietly changed into his sweats, then climbed under the sheets. He was out in only a few minutes. I joined him about an hour later, after going over some of the maps again. I was worried that Dup would get lost in the forest. He was always so bad with that kind of stuff, and when I was with him, I was in charge of the navigation. I didn't know how good Fei's navigational skills were, but I hoped that they were better than Duo's or they would all be screwed. I made a point of highlighting and marking all the safe routes, and all the places that could be dangerous areas before folding them back up and putting them in his pack.

…

It was about three in the morning when Duo's cell went off. I was surprised when the noise didn't wake him too. I shook him awake and he fumbled around with the phone plug, then put the phone to his ear.

"Maxwell," he answered, groggily, rubbing his eyes. Then was instantly alert, jumping out of bed and pulling on his uniform, the phone pressed between his ear and his shoulder. "When?" he demanded, then, "I'm on my way."

"What's going on?" I asked after he had hung up. I sat up and watched him fumble around with his military boots.

"We got reports of activity in the mountains. The base we're targeting just mobilized. Our launch time has been rescheduled," he told me, checking his gun, then jamming it into his belt along with a bunch of other instruments.

"To when?" I asked, confused.

"Ten minutes," he answered, running up to me and pressing his lips to mine. "Love you. I'll be back in about ten days."

"Love you," I responded, but he was already out the door and running down the hall.

I fell back into the pillows, running my fingers through my bangs. This was unusual. Why would this base be mobilizing its troops? There was obviously something going on. Something bad. Une never shipped us out early. I hoped Duo would be okay, but I couldn't suppress that feeling deep inside of me that something was about to go terribly wrong.

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**So yeah, the ideas are completely flowing for this one, but not my other one... I hate writers block... So I'll try to post both this one and my other one as soon as possible. This one I'll probably have updated soon, but the other one I'm not sure... Sorry about that. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

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I like this chapter. We get to see the sensitive side of Heero XD Well, enjoy!

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Chapter 3

Mistakes

One thing I loved about Duo, was that he always called me. He knew I worried, so whether he had to go alone, or if we were on separate missions, or even on the same mission just split up, I could always count on him to call me. And on the first, he called.

"Hey babe. How's it going at the office?" he asked me when I answered.

"Same boring shit as always," I responded with a smile, reclining back in my chair and putting my feet up on the desk. I switched him to speaker so that I could continue working on my files.

"Feet off my desk," he told me strictly.

"How did you—"

"Cause I know you _that_ well. Off," he demanded, and I could tell he was smiling.

I sighed and pulled my feet off the desk. "So what's going on with you? You didn't get lost did you?"

"Actually… we did," he admitted.

"Why did I even have to ask?" I laughed.

"Yeah. We jumped too early, so we had to try and find the trail to the stash. We finally found it, but it got dark just after that, so we're camping out under the stars," he smiled.

"Sounds nice."

"It's beautiful. Wish you could see it. I took some pictures for you," he told me.

"Can't wait to see them," I answered. I could just imagine Duo lying on his back in the grass, staring up at the stars and I wished I was there with him.

"So how is Une treating you?" he asked.

"She's decent," I answered, just as the phone beeped and Une's voice echoed into the office.

"Yuy, where are my file?" she demanded.

"Decent?" Duo laughed.

"Okay, maybe that was an overstatement. She's bearable," I rephrased, pushing down the button and responded, "On their way."

"Should I hang up?" Duo asked.

"No, you're fine. You just get to take a walk with me," I told him, grabbing my files and the phone, switching it off of speaker and putting it up to my ear. "Unless you have to go, then you can hang up."

"I'm good. We're not doing anything, just setting up camp. Hey Connor! Set up that space heater! It's freezing!" he shouted at one of the soldiers.

"So have you had your talk with Fei about his control issues yet?" I asked, still a little worried about that. The Second's job was to watch the leader's back while he led the other men. So if Fei wasn't doing his job, they could get into some serious trouble.

"Not yet. I'm trying to figure out how to approach him. He kinda scares me."

"Well you better get a move on that. You're running out of time," I told him, entering Une's office.

"Yeah, I know," he sighed.

'Is that Maxwell?' Une mouthed as I dropped the files into her inbox.

I nodded. "Well you need to do it before you get up to the base. You need to know that he'll have your back."

'Can I talk to him?' she mouthed.

"Hey, love? Une wants to talk to you," I told him.

"Fine. Put me on speaker," he said. "I don't want to talk to her 'alone'."

I laughed and put him on speaker, setting the phone on her desk.

"Duo?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am?" he asked.

"Where is your position?" she asked him. "Fei must've forgotten to send the alert when you guys reached the first supply stash."

"He didn't forget cause we haven't gotten there yet," he answered.

"What? Why the hell not?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"The pilot kicked us out too early. Apparently he couldn't stand us anymore," he joked and I chuckled.

"Who was your pilot? I need to go have a talk with him," Une frowned.

"Nah, it wasn't his fault. I ordered him to drop us as soon as we got in range."

"Of course you did," I laughed. That was Duo for you.

"Okay, well have Fei send that report as soon as you get to the stash," Une told him, turning back to her computer.

"Yes ma'am."

I lifted the phone back to my ear, walking out of Une's office.

"No! The poles go on the _outside_! I got to go, babe. Apparently the men don't know how to set up a tent. And I gotta crash soon anyway. Love you and miss you," he told me lovingly.

"Okay. Love you too. Call me again next chance you get. Promise?"

"Promise," he responded, then the line went dead.

…

He didn't call back the next night, but I didn't worry too much about it. He was probably just busy and couldn't call. I brushed it off. It was hard to find time to call during a mission.

The next night, I was sitting in Duo's desk filing some papers, waiting for the phone to ring. It was about six o'clock, about the time he usually called. I caught myself occasionally glancing at my cell on the desk as I logged my files into the computer. Suddenly, the office phone beeped and Une's voice echoed in the room.

"Yuy, can you come here please?" she asked, a strange tone to her voice.

"Sure. I'm on my way," I told her, not bothering to ask what was wrong. She'd tell me in a minute.

When I entered her office, she was watching her computer, an expression on her face that I had never seen before. She looked up at me and her expression became worried, like she was trying to figure out how to tell me what was happening.

"Heero," she started. This wasn't good. She never called me Heero. "Something happened. We lost communications with Duo's team. WuFei never sent a report at the first stash and we haven't been able to contact them."

I knew what she was saying, but it wouldn't sink in. Duo got captured? No, no he couldn't have. WuFei was watching for that kind of stuff. I trusted him… I pulled out my cell and dialed Duo's.

"It's no use. I've tried. Our communication specialists have tried. We've had no communications with anyone on the team. Until now."

"_The number you have dialed is no longer in service,"_ the pre-recorded voice told me, and my heart nearly stopped.

"What do you mean, 'until now'," I asked, needing to talk to Duo.

She opened her mouth to answer, but then closed it and sighed. "Before I show this to you, promise me you won't overreact. We have our best agents tracing the signals and trying to locate him."

I nodded tentatively, afraid of what she was about to show me. She turned the computer screen so that I could see it, then watched me with a worried expression. I slowly turned my eyes to the screen.

On the screen, was a picture of Duo. He was sitting in a chair in some dark room, a dim light trained on him. His hands were tied behind his back and his head was hanging so I couldn't see his face. His shirt was practically shredded and the once forest green color was now died red with his blood. His light brown braid was about half undone and matted in his blood. I wanted to turn my eyes away from the picture, but I couldn't. Suddenly, a man entered the picture and Duo looked up. It was a video. The man walked up to Duo and brought his fist hard into his gut. I flinched, finally able to take my eyes from the video.

"I-Is this live?" I managed.

"No. It was pre-recorded," she told me.

I couldn't stop the surge of anger as it erupted out of me. "See! This is what happens when you don't know your partner! Duo told you he couldn't work with Fei, but you paired them anyway! If I was there, I wouldn't have let this happen to him! He wouldn't be in this situation!" I yelled at her.

Normally she wouldn't have put up with me yelling at her like that, but she didn't react at all. "We are putting together a rescue team as we speak—"

"I want to lead," I demanded.

"I can't allow that. One, you're still on suspension, and two, you're to emotionally involved—"

"The hell I am! I need to be on that team! I don't care if I lead it or not, I just need to save Duo. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be in deep shit right now! It's my fault he's in this situation and it's my responsibility to get him out!"

"Fine," she answered, knowing she could never win this argument. "But you guys won't be deploying for a while."

"Why the hell not?! Duo could be dead by then!" I shouted, my voice breaking.

"We don't have the supplies together. If we sent you out now, you would die. Then what help would you be to Duo?"

I ran my fingers through my hair and watched as the man on the screen punched Duo's already bruised and broken face. I couldn't help but flinch. This was all my fault. I couldn't hold back the unfamiliar tears as I watched Duo get hit over and over and over again. Duo needed my help, and because of a stupid bar fight, I might be too late. I walked around her desk and grabbed my gun, then headed out to the hanger. Men were frantically loading up supplies and equipment into the shuttle. Trucks were arriving and full of supplies and being unloaded.

"Colonel Yuy? I hope to god that you are here because Une has lifted your suspension and put you in charge of this mission," Agent Walters said, walking up to me.

"She lifted my suspension, but she wouldn't let me lead," I told him as I helped a soldier load a crate of machine guns into the shuttle.

"Well she can go screw herself. If an acting field leader feels someone else is better suited to lead a mission, he can appoint them as leader. So you are now leading out mission."

"Thanks," I nodded. Une wouldn't be happy about this, but I wasn't about to refuse.

"Hurry it up boys! We're leaving in an hour!" he shouted.

"Une said we weren't going to be leaving for a while," I pointed out. "She said we didn't have the supplies."

"The shipment just came and she always thinks we need more than we actually do. We'll be launching in an hour," he answered.

I heaved a sigh of relief. I just hoped we'd be able to get there in time. Images of Duo getting beaten and tortured flashed through my head as we loaded up the rest of the supplies. Agent Walters introduced me as the new leader to the rescue mission as we worked, and the men welcomed me enthusiastically. My only fear was that we'd run into the same problem as Duo, because I didn't know these guys.

When the sirens and warning lights flashed, clearing us for launch, we all boarded, ready for take off. Now that I wasn't working on something, my mind was free to wander. Hundreds of scenarios ran through my head, very few of them ending well. I had to try so hard to keep control of my emotions in front of these men. It was bad enough that I had cried in front of Une, but I couldn't lose myself like that now. They had to know I was strong enough to lead them.

This was a completely new thing for me. I had always been the perfect, emotionless soldier. Controlling my emotions was always so easy, but now, knowing what Duo was going through… Duo did that to my emotions and it made it hard to control myself.

But now, as I thought of our targets, the men torturing Duo as we speak, I was suddenly furious. I could hardly control it. The tears that streaked down my cheeks now were tears of hate as I imagined how I'd slowly and painfully kill these men. I clenched and unclenched my fists. This rollercoaster of emotions almost made me snap, but I had to remain in control for Duo. For my Duo.

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**So? How was that? Okay? I liked it... It's spring break now, so I'll have _tons_ of time to get more typed XD And since I don't have to go to school tomorrow and I already have most of the next chapter written, I should have the next chapter posted tomorrow. But no promises XP Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay! I actually had this chapter finished last night, but it was ten thirty and I didn't feel like proof reading it... but here it is! All proofed and ready for reading XD Enjoy.**

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Chapter 4

Invasion

The com in my ear crackled to life and the pilot told me we were good to drop in ten minutes.

"Okay boys! Let's go kick ass and rescue our men!" I commanded, strapping into my chute and helping with the equipment.

The pilot opened the hatch and the wind rushed into the shuttle. It made it hard to hear the other men and the pilot.

"Drop in five… four… three… two… one!" I shouted. "Go, go, go!"

The first group jumped, then the second group, then Agent Walters and I. We were as low to the ground as allowed, which meant we had to pull the chutes just after we left the shuttle. We were in the air for not very long before we touched down into the waist high grass of the meadow lands. I pulled my rifle off my back and we cut the chutes, running into the cover of the trees.

We easily found the point where the supplies had been hidden. The men immediately went to gather the equipment, but I took a look around first. What I found, were bullet casings every where.

"Walters," I whispered into the com in my ear. "Be on your guard. This is where the ambush took place."

"Roger," his voice whispered through the link in my ear.

He commanded the other men to quiet down and we all listened. I heard a noise behind me and, in one quick motion, I cocked my rifle and spun around, aiming at the intruder. It was WuFei. I was suddenly overwhelmed with anger. I grabbed his collar and slammed him up against a tree.

"He trusted you to watch his back! _I _trusted you! How could you let this happen?! It was _your_ job to watch for the enemy. Duo's job was to lead, not to lead _and_ do your job! He may be good, but he can't do it all! If you could've just pulled your head out of your ass and did your damn job, this wouldn't be happening and Duo wouldn't be suffering in some hole somewhere! You weren't leading, Fei," I shouted at him.

"I…I…" he stuttered.

"Was trying to lead?" I finished for him.

"I'm sorry, sir," he stuttered.

I took a deep breath, releasing WuFei's collar. "Where are the rest of the men?" I asked him, forcing myself to calm down. Yelling at him wasn't helping Duo.

"Some are dead, some are being held at the base," he answered.

"Is that were Duo is?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"What do they want?"

"I'm pretty sure they are after information. If not, we all would've been killed instead of just captured."

I breathed deeply. "Well, since you're here, you might as well make yourself useful. But keep in mind, you have absolutely no power. You are a soldier. You will do what I say, and when I say it. You understand me?" I hissed.

He nodded and I handed him a rifle. We finished gathering up all the equipment and supplies, then started our three day trek up the mountain. I just hoped that Duo would last that long. No. I banished that thought from my head. Duo was strong. He could take it. I hoped.

The trek was difficult, but fast moving. We reached the second supply point in two days. But that's where we ran into trouble. We were expecting it though. When the ten plus men jumped out of the threes and opened fire on us, we returned it. I dove behind a tree, spraying the enemy with bullets as I went. I pulled out my empty magazine and jammed in a new one.

"Walters! How are you holding up?" I asked over the sound of the gun fire.

"We're good so far. Three enemy casualties so far, but none on our end. We're trying to force them to retreat."

"Don't. Take them out! All of them."

"But, sir—"

"That's an order agent! We don't want them to report back to the base and tell them that we are here," I shouted, letting off a stream of rounds.

"Roger that."

My magazine clicked empty again. I needed to save ammo for when we actually got to the base. I decided to switch to my Magnum. The one that I've never fired before, because I've never had a reason to. I pulled it out of my pack and loaded it. I smiled at the word 'Shinigami' engraved into the barrel. Duo had gotten this gun for me and told me that, if I thought of him when I fired it, I'd never miss my target.

"This is for you, Duo," I muttered to myself, then stood and fired.

With the first three shots, three men went down. Three men remained. I loaded in two more shots, gave the carving 'Shinigami' a kiss, then fired. The two men dropped like stones and a grin spread across my face. I loaded another round into the chamber as I snuck up behind the remaining enemy soldier.

"Preventer agent, drop your weapon," I commanded, pressing my gun to the back of his head.

He froze and dropped his semi-automatic to the ground.

"On your knees, hands in the air," I demanded.

He obliged quickly.

"Why did you ambush our men three days ago?"

"We were given an assignment to take out the enemy. Our orders were to kill all intruders, but our orders were changed last minute to take captives for questioning," he told me.

"Thank you for the information," I hissed, then put a round in his head. "All clear!"

The men all eased out of their spots and agent Walters ran up to me.

"You've been hit, sir," he told me, checking my arm.

"It's just a graze. If I didn't notice it myself, then it must not be that bad. I'm fine," I told him, wiping the blood splatter from my Magnum and slipping it into my belt. "Let's move."

We packed up the supplies and I bandaged my arm as we headed up the mountain. We made good time, camping out about two miles from the base. It was really close, but we wanted to get there early tomorrow morning. As I lay in the dried leaves, staring up at the tree branches, I had to fight hard to keep from getting up and storming the base that moment. I hated it, but Duo would have to hold on for another night. If he wasn't already dead. No. He was alive. He can't be dead. He can't be. I rolled over, away from the men, so that they wouldn't see the ever present tears.

…

When dawn finally broke over the horizon, I was already up and packing. When the sun finally rose, I woke up the men. We packed up all our stuff and worked out a battle strategy over breakfast.

"I say we find their ventilation systems and sneak in through there," agent Walters said, shoving a mouthful of instant eggs into his mouth.

I noticed that WuFei was fidgeting, like he wanted to say something.

"What's wrong with climbing the fence?" one of the soldiers asked. I think his name was agent Benson.

WuFei opened his mouth, but then closed it again.

"But the ducks will take us straight into the main buildings," Walters argued.

Again, WuFei fidgeted and opened his mouth, but closed it.

"Do you have something you want to say, Fei?" I asked him, looking back down at my instant breakfast.

"The ducks are too small for us to fit through and security is too heavily armed for us to jump the fence, sir," he informed us, picking at his food.

"And you know this how?" Walters asked him.

"I've already checked it all out," he answered.

"Fine. Any other ideas?" I asked.

It was silent. I racked my brain for ideas, but I hadn't seen the base, so I don't know much about it, or where its weak spots were.

"What about you, Fei? You've seen the base? Any ideas?"

"If you guys have smoke bombs, then I have a plan," he responded.

…

"Group B, take these smoke bombs and follow agent Walters to the south side. Group A, follow me and we'll come in from the south east. The cells should be right there," I said, gesturing to a large building. "We all meet in there. This is a rescue operation, men, not a combat operation. We simply get in, get our men, then get out. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" the all saluted in unison.

"Go, go," I commanded leading my team to the south east side.

We realized that security was actually not very dense as we approached the back of the base. And when we did get to the back, the security had disappeared all together. Apparently they weren't too worried about a rear side attack.

"Walters, no smoke bombs. I repeat, don't use the smoke bombs. There isn't any security, so we'll infiltrate secretly," I whispered into my headset.

"Copy that," he responded.

"Have you reached your position?" I asked.

"We are a go, sir."

"Good. All teams go," I commanded and we hopped the chain link fence and ran, our guns ready, towards the prison block.

We had to take out only two guards as we made our way down to the basement where our men were being held. We snaked through narrow passageways and took many wrong turns before finally reaching the right cells.

"Walters, you take the team and locate all of Colonel Maxwell's men. I'm going to go find Duo," I told him.

"Roger that. Good luck, sir," he told me and I took off down the main corridor.

I peeked into room after room, searching for Duo, but every room I ran into was empty. I heard some noises coming from a passageway to my right and I quickly ducked into the shadows. Two guards turned the corner, taking to each other, and kept walking. I let them pass. This was a rescue mission, I had to remind myself, not combat. I turned down that passageway, hoping that there was a reason they had been guarding it. There was only one cell and it was at the very end of the stretch. I took a deep breath, then fired a round into the lock and the door swung open.

I eased the door open and cautiously walked inside. There were no guards in the room. Just a video camera set up on a tripod and a single chair in the center of the room. And in that chair, was Duo. All of my emotions hit me all at once. Relief, anger, hatred, sorrow, pain, happiness, love. I ran forward and fell to my knees right in front of him. He was even worse than the last time I had seen him in Une's office. His shirt was gone now, revealing multiple slash marks and bruises and even a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. His beautiful face was covered in bruises and scratches. Blood was running from a broken nose and a split lip. He was completely out of it, probably unconscious.

"Duo? Duo, can you here me?" I whispered, shaking him gently.

"Heero?" he slurred in a hoarse voice, opening his eyes and lifting his head slightly.

I exhaled in relief and pressed my lips to his blood soaked ones. I untied his hands and tried to help him stand, but he collapsed back into the chair, his legs much too weak to hold his weight.

"You forgot to have that talk with Fei about control issues, didn't you," I teased with a smiled.

He chuckled hoarsely, then coughed violently, his face twisting in pain.

"Don't move," a rough voice demanded from behind me.

I raised my hands up into the air, my machine gun still dangling from its strap at the crease in my elbow. I winked at Duo and in one quick motion, he grabbed the machine gun and emptied the magazine into the four men at the door. I turned around to see that one of them was the man from the tape that had been torturing Duo.

"Bet that felt good," I mused.

"Absolutely," he smiled.

I lifted him into my arms, the machine gun still gripped firmly in his hands on his stomach.

"I got Duo. Do you have the other men?" I asked into my headset.

"Yes. We've already started evacuating them," Walters responded.

"How many men did you find?"

"Eight. Nine including Colonel Maxwell."

"Good. That means we only lost three.

"Thanks Heero," Duo slurred. "Love you."

"I love you more," I responded.

"Remind me…" he started, but then coughed violently, shaking his whole body.

"Remind you what?"

"To never go… on a mission with… anyone but… you… ever again," he mumbled between coughs.

"I promise," I answered with a smile, but he was already out.

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**Awwwww.... Poor Duo. I feel bad beating him up like this but.... it's just so fun! XP Oh well. Expect the next chapter by tonight. If not, definitely by tomorrow morning cause I have no school today! Yay!!! XD Please review!**

**And for my story 'Captured', I am still having major writers block, so don't expect anything from that for a little while until I can figure out where it is going. Sorry.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well I sure did get that one typed fast... I'm really enjoying writing this one XD**

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Chapter 5

Escape

I carried Duo's unconscious body back to where the others were waiting for us. Lucky for us, we didn't run into any enemy soldiers, because I didn't have a hand to shoot at them and Duo was completely knocked out.

"How is he?" Walters asked as I ran up to the fence.

"I can't tell. Cut a whole in the fence. I can't carry him over," I commanded and the men immediately got to work with the wire cutters.

When they finally made a whole big enough for the two of us to squeeze through, we started our trek back down the hill. We took a completely different route this time, so that it would be harder for them to follow us. We went as far as we could on that first day, putting as much distance between us and the base as possible. When we finally stopped to set up camp, I laid Duo down in the leaves and rolled him onto his side. I gently brushed his blood soaked hair out of his face, then went to help the men set up camp.

I sat back against a tree, combing my fingers through Duo's bangs. He looked so peaceful, like he was sleeping. I noticed that his gunshot wound was starting to bleed again, and I wondered how much blood he had already lost because of it. I grabbed the small medical kit from in my backpack and quickly wrapped it. I pulled out my phone and checked for a signal. It was faint, but present.

"Has anyone called Une to tell her that we got the men out?" I asked.

"No, sir. Not yet," Walters told me.

I dialed Une's number and she answered on the first ring.

"Une."

"It's Yuy. We found the base and infiltrated. We got the men out, but unfortunately, we lost three in the ambush," I told her.

"Damn. How are the others?"

"It seems like Duo was the only one who really took a beating," I answered, looking back down at Duo's battered body.

"How is he?"

"In pretty bad shape. He's unconscious right now. From what I can tell by just looking at him, he has several deep lacerations to his chest, back, and arms and many bruises. I'm pretty sure he has a concussion and he has a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. I can't tell if he has any broken bones though. He'll need to be awake for me to figure that out."

"Good work, Yuy. Keep an eye on him. He shouldn't be out with a head injury," she told me.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

"I hear Walters has promoted you to active leader?"

"Yes, ma'am," I answered. I didn't care what she did to me for this. All I cared about at the moment was Duo.

"Good. I was hoping he would. I was already risking my job by allowing you onto the team, but if I had allowed you to lead, I would've definitely lost my job. But I can't stop you if the current leader thinks you'd be better suited."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Call me when you are about three hours out from the drop zone and I'll send a shuttle your way."

"Yes, ma'am."

The line went dead and I shoved the phone back in my pocket. At that moment, Duo suddenly shot up, gasping, then crying out slightly at the pain. The sudden movement make his head spin and he clutched at it, falling back down onto his side, wincing as he hit the ground.

"Lay still, love," I told him.

"Heero? Where am I? What—" he started, but was interrupted by a violent coughing fit.

"Shhh. You're safe now. I promise."

He sat up, rubbing his head. He turned to face me, then furrowed his eyebrows. He was so pale. He had lost a lot of blood. He needed a transfusion and it couldn't wait until we got him to a hospital. I found an empty syringe in the medical and pulled it out. I had done transfusions like this only once before. It doesn't help a lot, but it'll help until I can get him to a hospital to get a real transfusion. I was just glad that we had the same blood type. I jabbed the needle into my arm and filled the syringe with my blood. At this point, I wasn't too concerned with sharing syringes. Anything he could get from it could be easily treated at the hospital. I grabbed his arm and pulled him closer to me, causing him to wince. He was definitely more hurt that I had originally thought.

"What's that for?" he mumbled, still rubbing his head.

"You're losing too much blood."

It wasn't hard finding his vein. He had gotten really skinny in that cell. And if they hadn't fed him, that probably meant he hadn't had any water either. I gently slid the needle into his arm, and inject my blood. I gave him two more syringes, but I couldn't do anymore, because I was starting to get dizzy. This would have to work for now.

I rifled through my backpack and pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to him. He grabbed it eagerly and started to chug it. I pulled it away from him after a moment.

"Not too fast. That's enough for now," I told him. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Ummm… I only remember a little bit," he muttered, moving over to me and resting his back against my chest, cringing as he did. "We had just reached the supply storage when we were ambushed. Then after that I think I must've been hit in the head, because I don't remember anything until I was in the base."

"Did you get shot during the ambush or at the base?" I asked, checking his bandages.

He thought for a moment, then answered, "I think at the base. Yeah, I remember. Major Asshole asked me a question, but I didn't answer, so he shot me."

I clenched my fists, anger flaring inside me. Knowing the man was dead comforted me slightly, but he had died a quick death. Not the slow, painful death I had been subconsciously planning the entire trip.

"Heero, I feel like shit," he groaned, leaning his head back against my shoulder. "I feel really dizzy." Then he was out.

I looked at his bandages again to see that they were soaked. He was losing too much blood too quickly. I laid him back onto the ground and ripped off his bandages. The bullet must've grazed the artery. I fumbled through the medical kit and found a rubber band. I could use this to clamp the artery, but I'd have to allow some blood flow, or he could lose his entire arm. I injected Duo with morphine straight into the gunshot wound, then, using my pocket knife, I opened up the wound further so I could get to the artery. Good thing Duo was completely out of it, because I didn't give him enough morphine to suppress this. I stuck the rubber band into his shoulder and strapped it around the artery. The bleeding slowed immediately, then I checked to make sure it hadn't stopped all together. When I felt confident in the position and tightness of the rubber band, I re-bandaged him, then stuck a syringe into my arm. I could only manage one more syringe of blood. I felt extremely light headed. But it wasn't enough and of course Duo and I had to have the least popular blood type.

I tried to remember what blood types could donate for type B negative and remembered quickly. "Is anyone blood type O negative or B negative?" I asked and all but two of the men raised their hands.

"Most of you are O negative right?" I asked.

They nodded.

"Is anyone B negative?"

"I am," agent Benson said.

"Do you mind donating?" I asked him.

"Not at all, sir. Anything to help," he told me, standing and making his way over to Duo.

I pulled out a different syringe. It wouldn't make much of a difference if Duo got an infection, but this soldier was healthy, so I didn't want to make him sick.

"Any STD's I should know about?" I asked him.

"No, sir," he answered quickly, and I could tell he was telling the truth.

I drew out two syringes of his blood and gave it to Duo. He started to come out of it as his body accepted the blood. But he was still very pale.

"Thank you agent," I told him and he bowed his head.

Duo sat up and leaned against me for support. He rubbed his head and winced. He inhaled deeply, causing him to cough.

"I still feel dizzy," he mumbled. "And… what the hell is in my shoulder?"

"A rubber band. I had to stop the bleeding," I answered and he made a face.

I stayed up all night long and tried to keep Duo awake. While he was awake, I checked him out and determined that he had a broken arm, two broken legs, at least four broken ribs, a possible spinal injury, a shattered ankle, a dislocated shoulder, and a shredded MCL. I also determined that his head injury hadn't caused bleeding in his brain, which was good. Cause if it had, then I would've had to cut open his head to relieve the pressure. But any head injury was still a serious one and it had me worried.

He kept almost falling asleep on me but I forced him to stay awake. It was dangerous for him to sleep with a head injury. But as much as I tried, at about four in the morning, he was out cold. I stayed awake, making sure he was still alive, and when morning came, I gave him another syringe of blood, then helped the others pack up. When it was time to start moving again, I swung my pack onto my back, then lifted Duo up into my arms and carried him down the mountain.

…

The trek back was slower than the trek up because I had to carry Duo and we had more men, all of which were very malnourished and slow. After three more days, we were still about four miles out from the drop zone. It was when we had stopped to camp that night that we were ambushed.

I had just set Duo down at the base of a tree when the gunfire erupted behind us. I put myself between Duo and barrage of bullets, letting off a few of my own. We outnumbered them and were able to take them all out relatively quickly, but not before I got hit in the stomach.

"Heero!" Duo, gasped as I removed my blood soaked hands to reveal the bullet hole in the left side of my stomach.

"I'm fine," I lied. "We need to keep moving men! There could be more on their way!"

I pulled out my phone and dialed Une. "We need that shuttle. Now," I demanded.

"How far out are you?" she asked. "Put me on speaker. I want to talk to all of you."

"A little more than four miles," I answered her question, putting the phone on speaker and handing it to Duo so that I could carry him.

"I told you to call me when you were—"

"I know, I know. We were planning to camp out, but we were just attacked, so we can't stay here over night. We'd be like sitting ducks," I explained.

"I'm sending out the shuttle, but you might have to wait a while before it gets here. Any casualties?"

"No, we're f—"

"Heero's been hit," Duo interrupted me.

"Where?" Une asked.

"I'm fine," I reassured them both, but I could tell Duo wasn't buying it.

"In the stomach," Duo answered her.

"The shuttle will be there in about three hours. Hold on until it gets there," she said, then hung up.

"Let me walk. I can walk. You're hurt," Duo said, struggling to get free.

"No," I answered, tightening my gripping on him. "Both your legs are broken and I think you have a spinal injury. You aren't walking anywhere even if you tried."

"But you've been shot!"

"And I told you I'm fine."

"You are bleeding all over me. You aren't fine. At least let someone else carry me."

I didn't say anything and just kept walking. He eventually let it go, but he kept watching my stomach as the blood seeped into my shirt and all over Duo's new shirt. I could tell he was worried, but he didn't make it known. After only about two miles, I was starting to feel dizzy from lack of blood, but I wasn't about to let Duo see it. And I was also starting to feel the wound. The pain increased with every step, but I did well on hiding it. Duo was asleep by then anyway, so I didn't have to try so hard. Duo was sleeping a lot in the past few days and it was starting to worry me, especially since he had a head injury.

Suddenly I was starting to feel dizzy. I could feel my mind sinking into unconsciousness, but I fought it as hard as I could. After another mile though, I was feeling weak, and I was starting to struggle with Duo's weight, which I had never struggled with before. Just when I thought I couldn't fight off the grip of unconsciousness anymore, there was an opening in the trees and we were at the drop zone. I set Duo down against the tree and sat next to him, pulling out the medical kit and stitching up my stomach. But I couldn't fight the unconsciousness anymore and within minutes, it had pulled me under.

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**So the way I've been blasting through this story, I might have the next chapter posted today... hopefully. It might be the last chapter though... I'm debating on how to end it. So it could be the last chapter or there could be a few more. Nobody knows... XD Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry it took me so long to post this. I was away all day yesterday and right now I'm currently at my cousins house. Sorry for the wait. Enjoy.**

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Chapter 6

Recovery

When I awoke, I was being wheeled somewhere. On a gurney? It smelt and sounded like a hospital. Ugh. I hated hospitals. I opened my eyes, and sure enough, I was in a gurney in the Preventers hospital. I suddenly remembered about Duo. I needed to go see Duo. I needed to see if he was okay. I reached up and ripped the oxygen tube out from under my nose and pulled the IV from my arm. Hands were suddenly restraining me as I tried to sit up.

"Calm down, sir. You need to lie back down," a nurse yelled at me.

"Duo is hurt. I need to see Duo," I insisted, sitting up and fighting the nurses and doctors holds on my arms. I could have easily evaded them if I wasn't so hopped up on drugs right now.

"Lie back down, sir. Colonel Maxwell is in surgery. He'll be okay."

"I need to see him," I demanded. "Let go of me."

Suddenly a needle was in my arm. I took a swing, but I was back under before I even knew whether or not I hit anyone.

…

I felt like shit. My stomach was killing me and it felt like it had just been cut open. It probably had. Since I didn't have an exit wound, they would've had to do surgery to remove the bullet. I felt the oxygen tube back under my nose and I reached up to pull it off, but something stopped me.

I looked down and saw the restraints around my wrists and ankles. My head fell back into the pillow and I laughed.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me," I exhaled, jerking my wrists against the restraints. "I'm _so_ filing a complaint."

"Not if the hospital files one first," I heard Une say from somewhere in the room. "From what I heard, you slugged one of your doctors."

"Did I?" I frowned, trying to remember.

"Yes. You broke his jaw."

"Of course I did. I hit with a purpose," I scoffed.

She shook her head, then stood, giving me a look. Then I remembered about her threat she had given me after my bar fight.

"I'm fired, right?" I asked her.

"No. You were drugged. It technically wasn't your fault. And I'm still proud of you for being able to put your personal life and emotions aside to save my men. Thank you, Colonel Yuy. I have permanently lifted your suspension. But my warning still stands. It ever happens again, and I will have your badge. Well, I'm going to go check on Maxwell. He should be out of surgery soon."

"I want to go," I demanded, attempting to sit up.

"No. You aren't supposed to leave that bed for at least a week."

I exhaled deeply. "At least let me know how he is?" I'd have to think of a way to go see him without her knowing.

"Can do," she answered with a smile, then left the room.

I relaxed back into the uncomfortable bed. I needed to see Duo, at least talk to him. I may have been able to save him from the base, but he wasn't out of the woods yet. He had to survive through the infections and the wounds and the surgery.

After an hour of staring at the ceiling, wondering whether or not Duo would be okay, a doctor entered my room carrying a chart.

"Heero Yuy?" he asked.

I nodded.

"General Une wanted me to inform you of Colonel Maxwell's situation," he told me.

"Situation?" That didn't sound good and I could hear my heart monitor start to accelerate.

"He has several minor injuries, many broken bones, and a torn MCL. But that's not what the problem is. He had a spinal fracture, which normally wouldn't have been that bad had he gotten medical treatment right away. But four days of moving around in the woods accentuated the problem."

"So? What's wrong? Will he be okay?" I asked, the monitor beeping a little faster.

"He is experiencing temporary paralysis in his legs. He won't have any control over his legs for about a month, then rehab for another month or two."

"He can't w-walk?" I asked, shocked.

"Only for about four months at the most, depending on how well he takes to the surgeries and rehab."

I nodded, not knowing what to say. "Can… Can I see him?" I asked.

"You shouldn't… but I guess you can," he said, changing his mind when I gave him a look.

He unhooked my restraints, then wheeled a wheelchair up to the side of the bed.

"I don't think so," I shook my head, sitting up.

"Fine. I'd like to see you walk after a major operation like that."

I stood, but he was right. I couldn't hold myself up. I reluctantly eased myself down into the wheelchair and the doctor rolled me down the hall and around the corner to the ICU. He rolled me down to ICU room two and wheeled me into the small room.

"What are his injuries? Other than the spinal injury," I asked him, unable to hide the worry from my tone.

"He has a triple fracture in his left leg, a broken right leg, a broken left arm, a torn MCL, a shattered left ankle, a dislocated left shoulder, a sprained right wrist, and a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. All of which are minor injuries and should heal relatively quickly. The only thing that has me worried is his spinal injury."

"What about his head? He definitely had a head injury."

"He had slight swelling of his brain, but nothing too severe. He has normal brain wave activity and functions and normal results on all of his tests. Like I said, his only serious injury was to his spine."

"Does he have any infections or diseases?" I asked him, remembering that disgusting room and all his open wounds.

"He had some minor infections, but nothing to serious, except he did contract pneumonia. He doesn't have it too bad, but being in that room for four days took a toll on his lungs."

I nodded, no more questions left to ask.

"He's still out, but feel free to talk to him. He can hear you. He should actually come around soon," the doctor told me.

I nodded and when he turned to leave, I wheeled my chair over to Duo's bedside. He had all sorts of bandages and wraps and casts all over his body and more IV lines than I could count. He looked even worse in here than he had in the forest. I picked up his right hand and squeezed it in mine.

"I'm sorry Duo. I'm sorry it took me so long to find you. And that I couldn't protect you from the beginning," I apologized to him, kissing his hand. It was so cold, like he was dead.

"Heero?" Duo mumbled groggily, gripping at my wrist.

"I'm here," I sighed.

"Am I in a hospital?" he mumbled, looking down at me. "What happened to your wrist?"

I looked at my wrists to see the marks from the restraints. I chuckled, but then cringed as pain shot through my stomach.

"They had me in restraints," I answered with a smile. "And yes you are in the hospital."

"Why?" he asked, confused, but also… angry?

"Because you were tortured for four days—"

"No, not 'why am I in the hospital'. Why were you in restraints?" he interrupted.

"I punched my doctor," I admitted, rubbing the back of my neck.

"_Why?_" he repeated.

"I have no idea. I guess I was just too hopped up on drugs. And while we're on that subject, I might spend the next few months in prison," I joked.

"They wouldn't press charges," he scowled. "Not after Shinigami is through with them."

I laughed, pain searing in my stomach. "Nah, I think Une was just teasing."

"Une knows?!" he nearly shouted, then cringed. "Don't tell me she fired you! I am _not_ doing any more missions without you. If she sacked you then… then I quit!"

"No, she didn't fire me. She actually thanked me…"

"For slugging a doctor?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No. For saving your ass."

He laughed, then coughed violently.

"Well, I need to move around. I haven't since we got ambushed," he grumbled, trying to swing his legs over the sides of the bed, but not being able to. I sighed. I was hoping to be able to put this off for a little while longer. "Why can't I move my legs?"

"Your spinal injury caused paralysis in your legs. Temporary paralysis," I explained.

He fell back into the pillows. "Dammit!" he cursed. "H-How long?"

"The doctor thinks four months at the most," I told him.

"F-Four months?!" he stuttered. "What about you? How long will you be out?"

"At least a week in the hospital and then another four weeks out of Preventers. Or so Une tells me."

"That means you'll be going on missions without me. And since I can't _walk_, I won't be able to save your ass when Fei screws you over."

"Unlike you, sweet, I know how to put Fei in his place."

"That's just because you were pissed at him."

"Still am," I growled, looking over all his wounds and bandages. "He should be in this bed, not you."

"You're right. I should be," WuFei's voice said from behind me.

I spun around to see WuFei standing in the doorway, his right arm in a sling.

"I-I just wanted to apologized. I never really got a chance to in the mountains. You were right, Yuy. I was too full of my own pride to accept that I was Second instead of leading. I'm sorry, Duo."

"It's okay. I forgive you. I'm not sure I would've liked Second either," Duo responded.

"You're such a—" I started to growl, but Duo hit me on the back of my head. "I forgive you," I amended.

"I didn't come here to get your forgiveness. I don't deserve it," Fei said, looking down at his shoes.

"No, you don't," I muttered under my breath, which earned me another smack on the back of the head.

"The doctor had told me you were temporarily paralyzed and I had to come see if it was true."

"Yeah, unfortunately it's true," Duo muttered, poking at his leg with a frown. "What happened to you? I didn't see you get hit."

"Tore a muscle trying to pull you into the shuttle," he answered.

"Oh, sorry. Guess I need to lose some weight," Duo joked.

"But anyway, the other reason I'm here is to tell Yuy that we're having a debriefing in your room in ten minutes and Une will blow a gasket if she finds out you left your bed."

"Why aren't we having it in here? How is Duo supposed to get to my room?"

"Duo isn't attending. It's a debriefing on the rescue mission only. And considering that he was injured, he didn't have any role in the event. Except for the fact that it was him we were rescuing."

I frowned and, before I could tell him I was staying here, WuFei grabbed my wheelchair and started to pull me towards the door. I quickly leaned down and flipped on the brakes, ignoring the pain in my stomach. Duo laughed, which sent him into a violent fit of coughing.

"Seriously, Heero. Une is going to—"

"What the hell are you doing, Yuy?!" Une yelled from behind me and I cringed. "Unlock the damned brakes and get your ass back to your room! Sorry, Duo, but seeing as your boyfriend _demanded_ to be leader of your rescue operation, it's mandatory for him to attend his own debriefing."

"I understand, ma'am. As long as you bring him back. I wasn't done with him."

"I don't think so, Maxwell. He just got out of surgery to remove a bullet from his stomach. He's going straight back to bed and is staying there."

"You just had surgery?!" Duo gasped. "You stupid little shit!"

I shrugged and Une forcefully wheeled me away. Back in my room, most of the men were already there and waiting for me. WuFei and Walters helped me back into my bed and one of the other men wheeled in a whiteboard.

"How the hell did you get your restraints off?" Une demanded, putting the IV back into my arm.

"The doctor was the one who told me I could go see Duo. He let me out," I defended. "Please don't put those back on. It's kinda hard to do a debriefing with you can't move your arms."

"As long as you promise to stay in bed," she said strictly.

"Since when have my promises ever meant anything?" I joked.

She sighed, shaking her head. More men entered the room and I recognized them all as Duo and my men, all of them bandaged and in much better shape.

"All right. Let's get this over with," I started.

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**So? You like? I'm not sure when I'll be able to posst this next. Maybe tomorrow? I have no idea... Please review.**


	7. Epilogue

**Yay! I was finally able to finish! Sorry it took so long. The ideas just completely stopped... Well, here's the last chapter. Enjoy!**

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Epilogue

"If you fall, I'm not picking you back up," I threatened as Duo attempted to balance his wheelchair on its back two wheels in the middle of his office.

"Don't worry. I've completely mastered this. It's not like I've had anything else to do for the past three weeks," he told me, his tongue sticking out of the side of his mouth in concentration.

He leaned back a little too far and I nearly flew out of my chair to catch him as he almost toppled over backwards. But he corrected himself last minute, landing back on his front wheels with a small thud. He grinned at me, then wheeled the chair over next to me at the desk. He took a peek at the file I was in the process of completing and frowned.

"I thought Une was making you take four weeks off."

"She is."

"Then why are you here? It has only been three."

"Working."

He exhaled sharply. "Well I wouldn't have come with you if I had known that!"

I laughed. "Well what did you think I was going to be doing?"

I don't know! Why are you working? If it was me, I'd squeeze her for more time, not come back a week early. I've already convinced Une that I'd need at least a week off after my rehab," he grinned.

"Fei and I have a mission in a week."

"She assigned you a mission for the week you come back?!" He seemed almost mad.

"Yup."

"_Why?_" He definitely was mad.

"Because she needs her two best agents to fix the stand in team's screw up. Too bad she only gets one of them," I teased, trying to lift the tension.

"Yeah, I guess Fei is just going to have to deal with whatever loser Une can find to replace me," Duo joked, then took off before I could smack him. He had gotten really fast in that thing. "Just kidding! I love you," he laughed from the safety of the other side of the desk.

"If you weren't already in a wheelchair and so lovable, I would be beating you right now," I teased.

Just then, Sally entered the room and took hold of Duo's wheelchair. "Mind if I borrow him, sir? He is late for his appointment," he frowned disapprovingly at Duo.

"Say no! She tortures me!" he begged teasingly and she smacked him in the back of the head with her clipboard. "See!"

I rolled my eyes at him and nodded to her. He quickly leaned down and locked his wheels before Sally could wheel him away.

"Fine. I guess we'll just do it in here," she said, looking down at her clipboard. "On a scale from one to ten, how much feeling do you have in below your ankles?"

"Zero," he sighed.

"Below your knees?"

"Zero," he sighed again.

"Your hips?"

"Uh…" he thought for a second, poking at his legs. "One. Maybe."

"That's an improvement from three days ago. How far down does that feeling extend?"

"Uh, not very far. Just past my hips."

"So you can feel your groin now?" she asked.

Duo blushed deeply. "Yeah, I can definitely feel that now. Maybe we should go down to the medical wing," he blushed.

"Don't worry bout me," I smiled, not taking my eyes off the computer. "I'm not listening."

"Yeah, sure your not," Duo grumbled as Sally took out a pin and poked his legs, looking for a response.

"Well if you're done poking and prodding me, I need to go talk to Une," he said as she got further up his leg.

"About what?" I asked him warily. He had been avoiding Une like the plague ever since she mentioned that he should come back to work during his rehab so he could help with the files.

"Just stuff," he answered, rolling towards the door. "Stuff about you… and Fei… and a mission in a week…"

"Are you going to try and talk her out of sending me?" I asked, figuring it out.

He took off down the hall, shouting "Yes!" as he went. I quickly dumped the folders from my lap and took off after him. But by the time I had entered the hallway, he was already disappearing into Une's office, yelling before he was even in the room.

"What the hell are you thinking sending him into a mission in a week?! He's still recovering!" I heard him yell as I ran down the hall and into the room. "That's suicide!"

I tried to pull him back through the door, but he had locked his wheels. I walked in front of him, cutting off his deathly glare at Une.

"What are you doing, Duo?" I asked him flatly.

"Trying to save your ass from a suicide mission!"

"I volunteered to take this mission. I found out that Fei was looking for a partner and I asked Une if I could go. She tried to talk me out of it Duo," I tried to explain.

"I want him off the mission. He obviously isn't thinking straight," Duo demanded, looking around me at Une.

"I have to agree with Maxwell, Yuy. You aren't healthy enough to take this mission. I was shocked when you passed Po's physical."

"Why are you doing this Duo?" I asked, but I actually felt kind of relieved.

"Because I don't want you to end up like me, or worse, end up in the morgue. This," he emphasized, gesturing to himself, "is why we need to work together. And you are still hurt."

"Are you going to sabotage all my missions for the next three months until you get back?" I asked him, raising my eyebrow.

"No, just until you are one hundred percent again," he answered.

"I'm taking you off the mission," Une decided, scratching something out in a file.

A smile spread across Duo's face. "Thank you ma'am," he said triumphantly.

…

"I'm going to help the men unload," I told Duo as the shuttle pulled into the hanger.

"I'll come too," he responded, wheeling his chair up next to me.

The mission that I was supposed to be on had just arrived and I wanted to go check on their status. The entire twelve days they had been gone, I couldn't help but think about them. But as they unloaded, I was suddenly grateful that Duo had convinced Une to pull me out. All of the men, including Trowa and WuFei had taken quite a beating. They were all exhausted and half dead. Many men were wounded and they very few that weren't looked like they too were in pain.

Duo took over supply check since he couldn't physically help unload. I was able to help the weak men out though, and we quickly got everything unloaded. As Duo checked off the last crate on his clipboard, he sighed deeply, something clearly on his mind.

"I'm glad you didn't go on this mission," he finally voiced his thoughts as we headed back down the hall with all the other soldiers.

I breathed in a deep breath and put a hand on his shoulder. I surveyed the beaten men again, then answered honestly, "Yeah, me too."

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**So? Was that okay? I litterally got stuck halfway through and couldn't think of an idea to save my life. I had to consult a friend she gave me the ending ideas... Well, I'm sad that it's over, but I feel acomplished XD Please review and thanks for reading :)**

**Just to let you know, I am currently working on another yaoi (I came up with the idea while trying to figure out how to end this one). Right now it's a pointless drabbe and I wasn't going to post it, but I _really_ like it so far, so if I can get it together and get it at least one step up from the plotless pile, I'll post it XD. And as for 'Captured'? I have no idea... I don't even know if I can finish it. But I'll consult my genius friend (you know who you are XD) and I'll hopefully get some ideas and finish the darn thing. XD**


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